all is fair in love and the hunger games
by EverlarkAlways2
Summary: a lot is changed in this. it was never an act katniss really fell in love with peeta in first book. snow doesnt hate them, and katniss and peeta are getting married not for the capitol for themselves although the wedding is in the capitol. so everyone is a happy. plus the victors dont go into the quell random kids do with an extra special arena mostly peeta's POV.
1. Chapter 1

AN:this story begins when Katniss and peeta are on the train home after the first games

"great job you two just keep it up in the district until the cameras are gone we should be ok" i watch him walk back to the train avoiding peeta's eyes

"what's he mean" peeta asks me

"haymitch told me to tell you that the capitol didn't like our trick with the berries and us and our families are in terrible danger if we can't pull it off. haymitch has been trying to coach me over the past few days on how to be more in love with you, but i keep on telling him i don't understand, how could i be more in love with you than i already am." i reply

"so let me get this straight" he blurts "the past few days and i guess all in the arena was just some strategy that you and haymitch worked out?!"

"no-no, no that's what haymitch thought it was he doesn't understand. he thought the star-crossed lovers thing was a strategy he made up but it wasnt. and he is having us be very careful because the people in the districts saw the berry thing as rebellion, and not how i saw it." i spit out

"well how did you see it" he asks a little tone of harshness in his voice

"i...i..i" im crying now "i just could imagine letting you die I'd rather die myself than live without you" i can't staunch the flow of tears streaming from my eyes

"i just love you so much" he pulls me close into a strong embrace "i love you too" he whispers into my hair. we stay like this until i'm all cried out and we start walking back to the train.

when we are just pulling into district 12 i'm so nervous i can't will myself to let go of peeta's strong hand that seems to steady everything. _what will my family say? what will gale say_? oh gale i wonder how he's taking the thing. he was never my boyfriend, but i just am praying this doesn't bother him. still that is too much to hope for. I must be really easy to read because peeta takes my chin to make me look at him

"hey, it'll be ok. he'll understand"

its like he can read my mind. im not into that ooey gooey 'soul mate' thing but i really think me and peeta are meant to be. he leans down and presses his warm steady lips against mine. bringing a sense of peace to me.

when we separate i look into his deep blue eyes that are so full of love and care.

we are interrupted by effie walking into the room.

"places places you two, we'll be in 12 in exactly 2 minutes." oh effie and her punctuality i stifle a small chuckle and walk to our place peeta's my hand in peeta's. we step out onto the station where we're greeted by a crowd of cheering people and cameras. i spot my mother and prim and the entire hawthorn family even gale in the crowd my heart swells when i see prim looking healthy and not under fed. a lone tear runs down my face and i look up at peeta and give a quick kiss on the cheek. we lift our entwined hands in a gesture of triumph, just like when we were on fire in our chariot before the games and i was convinced peeta was trying to kill me. now i love him more than i can express and i wish i could express it, but he's the one that's good with words i give his hand a tight squeeze i hope expresses what i cant with words.

the whole first month passes by in a flash. between parties and banquets and effie's schedule that is so tight i honestly think it chokes me, peeta and i never see each other off wasn't until the day that the camera crew along with effie (and her schedule) boarded the train and left district 12 until the victory tour that i could finaly breath. when i'm not in the woods i spend every moment with peeta. since neither of us has to work or go to school anymore our days are quite dull.

during the day i watch him bake and sketch and we talk we talk about everything except the games we've mostly tried to forget the games well the bad parts at least. the days are great but a night the nightmares are unbearable

one night i was at peeta's house i was sitting on the couch while he was dropping something off at haymitch's house and i must've fallen asleep because the next thing i knew i was on peeta's couch screaming and he was trying to calm me down as soon as i realized he was there i calmed down and started to cry into his shirt taken in his strong smell of cinnamon and dill undoubtedly from what he baked today

"shh katniss its ok it was just a dream" i've stopped crying but i stay in peeta's strong arms.

"h..how long was i out" i ask him

"i don't know but not too long, i came back from haymitch's house and saw you asleep on the couch i didn't want to wake you so i walked over to your mother's to tell her that you had crashed at my house, she said it was fine if you stayed here tonight. then opened the door and heard you screaming and you were thrashing all over." he looks worried

"i..i..im sorry" i say

"no no no its ok i get them too" he replies "really?" he nods

i nuzzle my self even closer to him and he rests his chin on my head. we end up migrating to peeta's room where i lay with my head on his chest and his arm protectivley around me we stay like this hoping no nightmares come and they don't.

i end up sleeping at peeta's every night at first my mother was skeptical but she heard me every night screaming somtimes she couldnt calm me down because peeta is the only one that can calm me down now. peeta doesn't mind in fact he loves it. once i asked him why i never knew when he has nightmares he said "my nightmares are usualy about losing you once i see that your here i calm down"

i nod and lean my head on his chest "mine are about losing you too" he kisses my head "i love you" "i love you too" we fall asleep like this and no night mares come

******tour day peeta's POV

_i open my eyes expecting to see the ceiling of my bedroom but all i see is rock im back in the cave in the games i look around and see that katniss isn't here. i remember know, she gave me sleep syrup and went to go get the medicine. i begin crying and hyperventilating i use all my strength to stand up. i drag myself out of the cave into the darkness it looks like the sun just went down then i hear the anthem and look up into the sky and see a face flash by its cato then foxface followed by thresh then. no, no, its katniss i crumple to the ground and sob "it's all my fault she died for me" then i hear some rustling in the bushes its clove i stand up_

_ "do it" she is about to throw the knife that will be my death-blow when she puts it down_

_ "no i think im going to let you live with it" and flips the knife blade towards her and stabs herself in the heart _

_"NOOOOOOOO" i scream _i open my eyes my heart is beating a mile a minute i look frantically around trying to figure out where i am and i realize it was just a dream. my heart instantly relaxes when i see katniss nuzzled into my chest i kiss her head and fall back asleep.

several hours later i wake up to find a note sitting next to me undoubtedly written in katniss's curly hand writing

went hunting see you when we leave xoxo

love you

- Katniss

i stand up and stretch my tired limbs. i glance at the clock 10:00 my eyes widen _what katniss must've left around 2-3 hours ago i never sleep in late._i go take a shower and get dressed i throw some ingredents into a bowl and make some bread i glance at the clock again its 11:05. i better go get haymitch ready. i wrap up the bread and walk out of the house into the light snow flurries up to the door ready to turn the knob when i year a guttural animal sound and some minor conversation between katniss and our old mentor haymitch

"if you wanted to be babied you should have asked peeta!" katniss blurts at him

"ask me what" i say with a slight smile and cross over to the table i hold out my hand for haymitch to give me the knife. i smile at katniss and dowes the knife in white liquor. who knows where this knife has been.

"i asked you to wake me with out giving me nomina" haymitch spits at katniss.

katniss scowls at him "go take a bath haymitch!" katniss retorts.

"i just did" haymitch growls and slumps into the nearest chair. katniss scowls at him which makes me smile she walks over and gives me a quick kiss on the cheek i smile and countinue to slice the warm bread

"well aren't you two just adorable" haymitch scoffs i roll my eyes and hand him some bread he grudgingly takes it and shoves an enourmus bite into his mouth "would you like some bread love?" i ask katniss

"oh no thank you i ate at the hob" she says sweetly

"i've got to go make myself presentable for the prep team any way" she adds and gives me another quick kiss on the lips and exits the house.

"you've really opened her up you know" haymitch says he seems to have sobered up completely _it always surprises me how he can go from a drunken mess one minute to a wise man the next_ i give him a small smile

"she used to be so self sufficient now she's letting people in more, mainly you and her mother" he adds

"well that was more the games than me" the smile disappears from both of our faces at the mention of the games

"when you almost loose everything that matters to you you stop taking it for granted" haymitch takes a long swig from a botte and i colappse into a chair accros from him.

"the nightmares do they ever go away" i blurt thinking back to last night haymitch sighs

"after i won the games i went home to my family and friends and my girl, but one by one they all disappeared due to random accidents"he makes quotes with his fingers

"thats when it got worse" i suddenly feel sorry for my old mentor and understand why he drowns all of his sorrows at the bottom of a bottle. we sit quietly for a while until someone burst through the door and im greeted by my prep team queenie, everol, and amethyst followed by Porsche my stylist all of them looking as crazy as ever engulf me in hugs and chatter. we head back to my house and they fix me up and when i'm finished porche puts me into large black coat and formal pant then adds another coat. haymitch sends me out the door when he gets the queue and as i step out the door of my house i see katniss stepping out of her house and walking towards me we meet in the middle and end up falling into the snow laughing we kiss and stand up

"so how have you two been" we hear ceasar say through the speaker

"we've been great we've never been closer" katniss says with a smile

"twelve yards to be exact" i add she laughs and so does caesar

"so tell me peeta are the rumors true katniss has moved in with you"

"well" i say

"i wouldn't say its official" katniss jumps him "but i do spend more time at his house than mine"and we all laugh

"so life has been good for you two "great" i say

"absolutely" katniss adds looking at me i smile at her and we both turn our attention back to the camera

"well that's just lovely we will be checking in with you two along your tour" Caesar says we bid our goodbyes and climb onto the train.

*AN: i'm just going to skip the tour and peeta does propose to katniss but not because the capitol says so because they are really in love

i wake up with katniss lying on my arm my chest pressed against her back and my other arm resting protectively over her. her breathing is slow and rhythmic. several minutes later her eyes flutter open and she turns to look at me her head resting on my lower arm

"morning beautiful" i say

"morning" she says with a smile and gives me a quick peck on the lips. we both roll out of bed and get dressed

"im gonna go make breakfast ok" i give her another peck on the lips

"ill be in the shower, see you in a few." i exit the bedroom and walk down the stairs to the kitchen where i prepare eggs,toast,bacon, and cheese buns which happen to be katniss's favorite. when breakfast is finished katniss comes down the stairs with her dark wet hair in her classic braide

"breakfast is served" i say with a very proper accent as i hand her a plate of food

"ohh thank you" she says with an eqiuly proper eccent and gives me another peck on the lips. while eating breakfast i ask her

"so what are you planning on doing today?" she thinks for a minute and says

"hmm i don't know maybe i'll go visit my mother than go into town and pick up some stuff." she smiles at me and continues "i could use some company."

"i would be honored" i say with a smile we finnish breakfast and katniss heads to her mother's house and i shower and get dressed. when im ready i walk over to her house and push open the door

"hello peeta" prim beams at me

"hi prim, is katniss still here?" i hear katniss's voice from the kitchen

"in here" i follow the voice to find katniss leaning against the table talking to her mother who is washing dishes

"you ready?" she asks me

"sure" i say

"see you two later" she beams we bid our goodbyes and are our way to the square when im pulled up short by a strange noise a whistling a sound of impact and an intake of breath from a crowd

"whats that" i ask katniss she hasnt seemed to notice she listens for a moment then shrugs we move at a bit of a faster pace because both of us can sense something is wrong when we reach the square there is a crowd of people and we cant see what is going on i stand up on a crate against the wall and i offer katniss a hand and scan the square my heart stops when i see it. its someone straped to a post by their wrists slumped over in uncounsiosness being whiped by a man in a head peacekeeper uniform but this is not smiling od cray this man's face is hard and cruel. then i relize that somone is gale. _i need to get katniss out of here. _shes half way up when i suddunly block her way

"get down get out of here" im whispering but my voice is harsh with insistance

"what?!" she says and tries to push her self back up

"go home katniss" i hiss " ill be there in a minute i swear" she yanks away from me and begins to pushg through the crowd i follow her and people begin protesting her and pushing her back but she pushes through and makes it to the clearing im too late and by the time i make it there she is ifron of him and the whip is coming down and hits her across the face "noo" she cries one hand cups her cheek while the other holds her up "stop it you'll kill him" she cries again the powerful arm lifts the whip its destination katniss im about to run forward and scream her name but someone beats me to it

"HOLD IT" haymitch barks he trips over darias on the ground a huge purple lump peeking out through his red hair. i run over to katniss now. haymitch and i pull katniss to her feet

"oh excellent" his hand under her chin lifting it "she has a photo shoot modeling wedding dresses next week what am i suppose to tell her sylist. katniss's face is covered by a scarf due to the cold her braid carelessly tucked into her fathers hunting jacket her face free of make up she wouldn't easily be identified as the victor of the 74 hunger games katniss everdeen the girl on fire, however haymitch has been showing up on television for years and he'd be hard to forget. the man rests the whip on his hip

"she interrupted the punishment of a confessed criminal." he in a commanding voice

"i dont care if she blew up the blasted justice building look at her cheek, think that will be camera ready in a week" haymitch snarls

"thats not my problem" he says in a cold but doubtful voice

"no well its about to be my friend, the first call i make when i get home is to the capitol" says haymitch "find out who authorized you to mess up my victors pretty little face"

"he was poaching what business is it of hers" says the man im still at katniss's side holding the arm not occupied by haymitch very gently

_"hes her cousin" haymitch retorts_

"and she my fiannce so if you want to get to him expect to go through both of us" I add gritting my teeth to not punch the man for hurting katniss. the man glancces behind him to see a peacekeeper woman who i belive knows katniss and gale from the hob the woman speaks

"i belive for the first offence the required number of lashes has been dispensed, unless your sentence is death which we would carry out by firing squad"

"is that the standard protocol here" asks the man

"yes sir" the woman answers and several other peacekeepers nod in agreement the man and the peacekeepers leave taking darius's limp body with them

"gale" katniss says turning to him and fumbling to untie the knots around his wrists. someone passes forwards a knife and I cuts the ropes. gale collapses to the ground

"better get him to your mother says haymitch to katniss. an old woman at the clothing store sells us the board that serves as her counter top

"just dont tell where you got it" she says packing up the rest of her goods quickly. we get some men to carry gale home i grab a corner while the others are occupied by some men that work with gale in the mines. katniss begins talking to a girl named leevy somthing about getting hezel and not letting her bring the grabs gales jacket and hurries after us "get some snow on that" haymitch orders katniss she obliges. bristle and tom some of gales mining friends peice together the story about how gale brought a turkey to cray's house knowing he likes turkey and instead found the new head peacekeeper romulus thread. he was whipped and by the time me and katniss showed up he had been whipped at least 40 times he passed out around 30

"lucky he only had the turkey on him if he had his usual hall it would've been much worse" says bristle

"he said he found it wandering around the seam and had killed it with a stick" adds tom "still a crime, but if they heard that he'd been in the woods with weapons they've killed him for sure"

"what about darius" i ask

"after about 20 lashes he stepped in saying that was a enough only he didn't do it smart and official like pernia" _that must be the woman peacekeeper_ i think

"he grabbed thread's arm and thread hit him in the head with the butt of the whip, nothin' good waitin' for him" says bristle

"doesn't sound like much good for any of us" says haymitch the snow begins thick and wet making it hard to see we stumble up the walk to the house followed by katniss. ms. everdeen takes in the scene as we carry gale into the house

"new head" haymitch says she gives him a curt nod of understanding she jumps into that zone katniss has explained to me where its just her the patient and occasionally prim. in moments the kitchen table is cleared and a sterol white cloth is spread across it and gale hoisted onto it does a bunch of stuff to try and treat gale's wounds. katniss is standing by gale watching her mother i'm next to her and i take her chin and look at her lash mark

"did it cut your eye" asks katniss

"no its just swelled shut" she answers

"get more snow on it" she instructs but katniss is clearly not the priority so she ignores her mother

"can you save him"she asks her mother she says nothing. though i dont ignore i grab a cloth from the drawer and walk over to the door and get the snow instructed katniss to put on her cheek

"don't worry" i hear haymitch say

"used to be a lot of wiping before cray shes the one we always took them to" i walk over to katniss and grab a stool to sit her in she sits as i press the cloth to her cheek ever so gently afraid to hurt her. cleans gales wound and i can see that katniss is going to throw up so i lay my hand on her trembling on and stroke it

"he'll be ok dont worry katniss" she nods and fights the tears haymitch tells bristle and tom to get home and presses coins into their hands

"don't know what will happen with your crew" he says they nod and accept the money. hezel arrives breathless and flushed snow in her hair wordlessly she sits on a stool next to the table and takes gale's hand and holds it against her lips. the rest of us wait eagerly to see if he'll be ok it takes a long time to clean the wounds arrange what skin can be saved apply a save and a light bandage as the blood clears i can see where every stroke on the lash landed. i look to katniss who seems horrified, no doubt she is multiplying her pain 40x. as is about to finish placing the bandages gale wakes up he moans hezel strokes his hair and whispers something to him while and prim search through their pain killers. they decide on a herbal concoction he can take by mouth

"that won't be enough" katniss blurts we stare at her

"that won't be enough i know how it feels that will barely knock out a headache"

"we'll combine it with sleep syrup and he'll manage it the herbs are more for the inflammation" begins calmly  
"just give him the medicine! who are you any way to decide how much pain he can stand" katniss screams at her mother. gale begins stirring at her voice trying to reach her the movement causes fresh blood to stain his bandages and an awful sound to escape his mouth

"take her out" orders haymitch and i literally carry her out of the room while she shouts at her mother we pin her down on a bed in one of the extra bedrooms until she stops fighting she sobs into my chest for a long time tears trying to escape the slit of her eye i rub her back soothingly and whisper things like

"its ok he'll be ok, gales a fighter" this seems to calm her down a little bit i kiss her head and we sit like this until walks in and treats her cheek she holds the hand that is not wrapped around me her head on my shoulder her mother stroking her arm haymitch fills her in about what happened to gale

"so its starting again" she says "like before"

"by the looks of it" haymitch replies "who'd of thought we'd ever be sorry to see old cray go" cray was an object of loathing in the district because of his habit of luring starving women to his bed for some extra money. when the doorbell rings katniss shoots straight out of bed before we can stop her undoubtedly thinking its peacekeepers which it very well could be

"they can't have him" she says

"might be you there after" haymitch reminds her this pulls me up short she did interrupt a punishment i grab katniss's arm protectively

"or you" she shoots at haymitch

"not my house" haymitch remarks i go to open the door katniss still by my side. when we open it it's not a squad of peacekeepers but madge standing snow caked in the freezing air she holds out a small damp cardboard box to katniss who takes it curiously

"use this on your friend." she says katniss lifts up the lid of the box where 6 viles of clear lyquid sit

"they're my mother' she said i could take them, use them please" she runs back into the storm before we can thank her

"crazy girl" haymitch mutters as we follow ms. everdeen into the kitchen. whatever has given gale katniss was right it isnt enough he grits his teeth against the pain and he shines with sweat fills a syringe with the liquid from the vile and shoots it into his arm almost immediately his face relaxes.

"what is that stuff" i ask

"its from the capitol its called morphling" answers and it brings back a hazy memory from the capitol on the hovercraft after the games when i was about to lose my leg a doctor saying

"get him some morphling!" then feeling instant releif and the rest is black

"i didnt even know madge knew gale?" i ask

"we used to sell her strawberries" katniss says in a bit of a pained tone

"she must have quite a taste for them" haymitch teases implying that madge has a crush on gale.

katniss rolls her eyes "shes just my friend" she says casually but still worried. after gale drifts away on pain killers everyone seems to relax a bit. prim feeds us soup. and offers a room to hezel but she has to go home to the other kids. haymitch is willing to stay but sends him home. me and katniss end up in her old bedroom before she started living with me. we both sit awake half the night, katniss worrying about gale me worrying about katniss worrying about gale. i wake up to find katniss sitting up leaning against the headboard twiddling her thumbs anxiously she notices that i have woken up

"oh im sorry darling did i wake you." she says i sit up

"no no" i say "hows your cheek" i ask

"hurts like hell" she replies causally with a hint of a smile.

"come on" i say climbing out of bed we slept in our clothes last night because neither of us had any thing else, katniss's clothes are at my house or 'our house'. we walk downstairs and find that prim and are already awake prim is on the front porch gathering snow in a bowl i can see that the snowstorm has strengthened into a full out blizzard prim brings the bowl of snow to . i can see that the medicine is wearing off on gale by the look on his face

"can't you give him another shot" katniss says trying to keep her voice calm

"i will if it is needed i thought we'd try snow coat first" she replies a lot calmer than katniss when they remove the bandages you can practically see the heat radiating off his back she lays a clean cloth across his angry flesh and nods to prim she comes over mixing a bowl of snow that is tinted green with some kinds of herbs and gives off a clean scent _so thats' snow coat_ as prim begins to ladle the stuff on top of the cloth katniss squeezes my hand in anticipation we can almost hear the sizzle of gale's tormented skin meeting the snow he looks shocked and confused for a minute then relief floods his face and he lets out a small sigh katniss's muscles loosen and so do mine

"its lucky we have snow" says

"what did you do in warm months" katniss asks face looks pained and she looks off into nothingness

"tried to keep the flies away" she says katniss squeezes my hand again and i give her a reassuring squeeze back gets back to work turning to prim still ladling the stuff onto gale she takes out a handkerchief and fills it with the snow coat i sit katniss down and hands me the handkerchief. i hold it onto katniss's cheek and bring her hand to my lips. a small but appreciated gesture. as soon as i hold the handkerchief to her cheek a sigh escapes her lips

"oh thats wonderful" she says "why didnt you put this on him last night"

"i needed the wound to set first" neither of us know what that means but if katniss is happy and not in pain im just fine.

"im sorry about screaming at you yesterday" katniss says to her mother remorse in her eyes

"ive seen worse you know how people are when someone they care about is in pain" she leans her head on my shoulder and realeses a sigh. now that gale in not in pain and sleeping again katniss speaks up

"i think me and peeta will run home and change, maybe check on haymitch" she says to her mother

"how does that sound love?" katniss asks me

"perfect" i reply with a smile

"ok well see you two soon" says we bid our goodbyes and run across the path to our house we shower and change. i grab some bread to bring to haymitch and we're out the door. i push open haymitch's door breacing myself for the smell of old lyquior and vomit. when we walk in we find haymitch dead drunk on the couch.

"should we wake him" katniss asks me

"nahh let him sleep" i reply waving it off with my hand i lay the bread down on a clean spot on the table. then me and katniss build up his fire

in the next few days gale gets better and katniss's eye heals we spend the day at her mother and prims house than at night go back to ours. i really love having katniss and i live together. i still can't believe that i'm actually marrying her. if i were to go back to the peeta a week before the reaping and tell him that within a year him and katniss everdeen would be married he wouldn't believe it. in a few days the victor's village is shoveled out and it takes some time to shovel out the path to the square but when its cleared me and katniss decide to go get some supplies for gale and drag haymitch along promising him a trip to the hob for some white liquor _nothing much will happen with the weather that what we thought. __boy were we wrong._


	2. Chapter 2

square is transformed a banner with the seal of panem hangs off the roof of the justice building peace keepers in plain white uniforms march on the clean swept square. More on the rooftops with machine guns. Most unnerving is the whipping post and several stockades and a gallows standing neatly in the centre of the square.

"Thread's a quick worker" says haymitch. Several streets away I see a flicker of fire over the roof tops and all of us know that that is the hob going down in flames. I look over to katniss's "horrified face. She turns to Haymitch

"Haymitch you don't think they're still in there do you?" she asks

"Nah they're smarter than that you'd be too if you'd been around longer" he says "well, I better go see how much rubbing alcohol the apothecary can spare" he stumbles across the square and katniss turns to me

"what does he want that for?" her eyes widen "we can't let him drink it he'll kill himself or at the very least go blind, I've got some white liquor put away at home. In the back of the rice cabinet."

"me too I've got 4 bottles under the sink, that should hold him off until ripper finds a way to be back in business" I reply I'm worried about my family now, though mostly my dad and my oldest brother rye

"I've got to go check on my family now"

"I've got to go see hezel" says Katniss I was thinking the same thing. We expected her to be at the front door as soon as the snow stopped but we hadn't seen her. Katniss and we locate hazell in her house nursing posy who seems to have the measles

"I couldn't leave her, I knew gale would be in the best possible hands"

"of course" Katniss says "my mother says he'll be back in the mines in a couple of weeks"

"may not be open until then anyway" says Hezel "word is they're closed until further notice" she quickly and nervously glances at her empty washtub.

"you closed down too" Katniss asked concerned

"not officially" says Hezel "but everyone's afraid to use me now"

why wouldn't people use hezel its not illegal to have people wash your clothes, then I glance outside and see the horrid weather conditions

"maybe it's the snow" I say hopefully hezel shakes her head

"no Rory made a quick round this morning nothing to wash apparently" my heart sinks to my feet then Rory wraps his arms around Hezel

"we'll be alright" says Rory

i'm reaching for my pocket but Katniss beats me to it putting a fist full of coins on the table

"my mother will send something for posy" we step outside of the house Katniss glances at the smoke a few streets away I know what she is thinking she opens her mouth and looks at me I stop her with a kiss

"yes we can walk by the hob" I say

she squeezes my hand gives me a sad but sincere smile. I squeeze her hand and give her a gentle kiss on the forehead. We weave through the seam, Katniss on my arm.

Over the next few weeks are brutal. Half of district twelve is starving. Child after child signs up for tesserae, however sometimes they don't even get their grain. There are food shortages, and even those with money cant get food. Eventually the mines reopen and when they do, hours are extended wages cut miners sent to work in terribly dangerous places. When parcel day finally arrives the food is spoiled and defiled by rats. the stocks and gallows and whipping post see plenty of action people being dragged into the square for offences so long over looked we had forgotten they were illegal. Also Katniss told me one night that Rory signed up for tesserae and gale can't even speak of it, however its still not enough. Katniss has the idea to hire Hezel as a housekeeper for haymitch and we convince him. Katniss has nearly gone mad because with the security she can't go into the woods anymore and she has nothing to do all day. One morning I wake to another note

went to do my rounds be back later tonight

with love,

Katniss

Katniss's rounds are when she delivers food to some of the starving people in the seam. The day is quite boring, later I go see haymitch we are playing a match of chess i'm not paying to much attention because my thoughts are preoccupied where is katniss she should've been back by now? haymitch being haymitch grunts and says "boy its been your turn for 10 minutes make a move" I move a piece and he instantly takes it "hey" haymitch says snapping his fingers "is peeta still in there" "ya ya i say" in a hushed voice "peeta, shes fine! she survived the hunger games for christ sake" he grumbles just then the doorbell rings i walk to the door trailing close behind haymitch he opens the doors and two peacekeepers are there oh no katniss was arrested or shes dead or.. my thoughts were cut off when the male peacekeeper speaks

"we have to ask you both to join us at the everdeen residence.

"may i ask what for haymitch says the female speaks this time

"we have a message for katniss that we would like you both to be present for"

"is she at the house" I say

"no but according to her mother she shouldn't be out for much longer" says the male peacekeeper we follow the two peacekeepers to katniss's mothers house and opens the door to let us in. we walk in and me and haymitch start another game of chess keeps on nervously asking the peacekeepers if they need anything until finally after around three hours and 8 games of chess.

I hear the door swing open knowing it must be katniss i'm about to run to her and ask her a million questions but haymitch puts his hand on my shoulder giving me a disapproving look then mouthing 'this is all completely normal'. release a small sigh and nod i hear katniss say "hello" in a neutral voice "here she is just in time for dinner" says "can i help you with something" she asks the peacekeepers "we come with a message from head peacekeeper thread" says the woman "they've been waiting for hours" asks "may we ask where you have been" the woman asks "easier to ask where i haven't been" she says in an exasperated tone she walks into the kitchen i can hear every footfall which is very unusual for katniss but i shrug it off katniss looks over and sees prim me and haymitch. Prim standing stiffly by the hearth, "hello darling" katniss says i stand up and give her a quick peck on the lips realix=zing i haven't seen her all day and i missed her. then because of what haymitch says i retreat back to my seat "so where haven't you been" haymitch grumbles "well i haven't been talking to the goat man about getting prim's goat pregnant because someone gave me completely inaccurate information as to where he lived" she says pointedly at prim i smile a bit

"no i didn't i told you exactly!" prim says

"you said he lives next to the west entrance to mine"

"the east entrance" pim corrects her

"you distinctly said the west because then i said 'next to the slag heap' and you said 'ya'" she says

"the slag heap next to the east entrance" says prim patiently

"no when did you say that"she demands

"last night" haymitch chimes in

"it was definitely the east" i add haymitch and i guffaw. katniss glares and i shrugged sheepishly. "im sorry but its what ive been saying you don't listen when people talk to you" i say

"bet people told you he didn't live there today and you still didn't listen" haymitch adds

"shut up haymitch" katniss says with a sowl clearly pointing out that he is right. haymitch and i crack up again and i see that prim smiles a little too

"fine" katniss says "someone else can arrange to get the stupid goat knocked up" which makes us laugh even more. She looks at the peacekeepers

"what's in the bag" the female asks sharply

"see for yourselves katniss says dumping the contents of the bag on the table

"ohh good says" mrs. everdeen examining the cloth, "we're running low in bandages" i walk over to the table and open the candy bag

"ooo peppermints" i say popping one in my mouth

"they're mine" she says making a swipe for the bag. I toss the bag to haymitch who shoves a fistful in his mouth then tosses it to a giggling prim

"none of you deserves candy" she says

"what because we're right" i say with a smile i wrap my arm around her waist and she makes a yelp of pain but passes it off as a sound of indignation somethings wrong whats wrong im panicking now but don't let it show.

"ok prim said west i distinctly heard west and we're all idiots, how's that?" i say

"better she replies and I give her another peck on the lips and she accepts gratefully. she looks to the peacekeepers

"you had a message for me"

"from the head peacekeeper thread" says the woman

"he wanted you to know that the fence surrounding district 12 will now have electricity 24 hours a day"

"didn't it already" she asks a little too innocently i work hard to stifle a laugh or a smile

"he thought you might be interested in passing this information on to your cousin" says the woman

"thank you i'll tell him" i say "i know we'll all sleep a little more soundly now that security has addressed that laps" now shes pushing it but its harder to stifle a laugh. when the door locks behind them katniss slumps against the table oh god oh god she's hurt oh god oh god "what's wrong" i ask suddenly freaking out and trying not to show it

"my left ankle" she replies "and my tail bones had a bad day too" she attempts to walk to the sitting room resting most of her weight on me she makes it about 2 steps until i can't stand the awful look of pain on her face. so i just scoop her up bridal style being very careful not to hurt her tailbone. i lay her down on the couch propping up her left ankle with a pillow and another under her head. kneel next to her while examines the damage to her her ankle and probes her tailbone. she is put on bed rest and she must be feeling pretty awful to not argue. later offers us a room. i decline and end up carrying an adorable sleepy katniss home. I don't mind one bit, to me she doesn't weigh much more than a puppy. gave her some sleep syrup and she is nuzzled greatfuly into my chest with her arms around my neck as i walk up stairs. i gently lay her in the bed. had changed her out of her clothes and into pajamas. so all i had to do was tuck her into the bed. i threw on some pjs and climbed in next to her. even though she was half asleep she immediately curled up next to me with her head resting on my chest and my arm around her with hers draped over my stomach. i kissed the top of her head and whispered to my half asleep fiance "i love you" she surprised me by whispering back "i love you too" i held her closer if thats even possible when she whispered something else "stay with me". Katniss everdeen my fiance. how did we get here. But i know i will love her.

"always"

katniss's ankle has more or less healed along with her tailbone. we spent the days when she was on bedrest working on her family book and talking about the wedding. haymitch got the photo shoot pushed back a few weeks, after the whipping. I wake up to find katniss sleeping snuggled up against me just as i had left her last night i lay like this for a while it still being way too early wake up. i glance at the clock 4:00 am. i'm fully content with watching her sleep when she starts to move a little i think i've woken her up when i realize she is still asleep, in the midst of a nightmare. i hold her a little tighter "shhh katniss its just a dream shh come back to me shh i love you i'm right here you're safe you're safe" its not working. she starts to call out "peeta peeta" "shh katniss im right here im fine you're fine we're safe" she jerks awake and relief floods through me "peeta" she says "peeta" she screams this time not knowing where i am "shhh katniss im right here im right here shh its ok" she stops screaming and looks at me for a minute then breaks down into sobs on my chest i rub her back and hold her "shhhh im right here im right here" "y-you w-where d-dead" she says in between sobs. "shhh no im right here im right here" "i-i l-love y-you" she gets out between another round of sobs "i love you too im not going anywhere"

"peeta go away" says prim pointing her small hand towards the door "why" says katniss looking confused and upset. thats when chimes in "its bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding" she says calmly "oh" katniss replies looking down she looks to me i shrug and stand up and giver her a quick kiss on the lips "see you in a bit love" she gives me a pained expression i give her another peck on the cheek and whisper in her ear "it'll be ok ill just be across the street if you need me, alright" she nods and kisses me on the lips again. haymitch ends up coming with me he says its because doesnt want me to be alone but i think its really because he doesnt care at all about wedding dresses. the day was pretty normal haymitch passed out at around 11 so went back home. i made katniss some cheese buns because i know she must be miseable right now and cheese buns are her favorite. at around six-o-clock i have two batches of cheese buns and half a painting of rain water dripping through the cave cracks. when there is a small knock on the door and i know it must be prim. i wipe the paint off my hands an walk to the door where i find a smiling prim. "shes all done, mother wants to know if you can come for dinner?" "of course" i reply i let prim stand in our front hall while i wash my hands and grab a batch of cheese buns to share with everybody i leave the rest for katniss. Prim and i make our way across the street to katniss's mother's house where prim pushes open the door. I walk in and find katniss laying on the couch with an arm draped over her eyes, exhausted. i dont think she even noticed i came in to a walk over to her taking her other and in mine "long day" i say while bringing her hand to my lips "tell me about it" she replies.I smirk and lean in to whisper in her ear "i made cheese buns" she peeks out from under her arm to look at me. A trace of a smile on her lips i lift the basket of cheese buns so she can see it and she takes her arm off her face she sits up her lips crash into mine with such force im taken aback slightly when we separated she says "this is one of the perks of marrying a baker now is it" she says with a smile "well of course" i giver her another peck on the lips and stand up and walk to the kitchen where i see prim sitting at the table. i take a cheese bun out of the basket and hand it to her with a smile she returns an equally bright smile. she gobbles up one then reaches for another she must take after her sister. "kat" i call from the kitchen "if you don't get up now prim here will eat all your cheese buns" i hear a moan and feet dragging in socks across the hardwood. sure enough in walks a sleepy katniss. shes so adorable when she's tired. she slumps down in a chair then reaches weekly with her arm for the basket of bread a couple inches in front of her hand then waves her hand pitifully in front of it before dropping her arm then looking to me with big puppy dog eyes. I laugh and shake my head. i reach out and grab her a cheese bun which she accepts with a sleepy smile. she tends to her cheese bun with her head lying sideways on her arm. we eat dinner and i'm having a polite conversation with while we do the dishes when i hear katniss beginning to drift off right there in the table with half a cheese bun in her mouth. gestures to her with her head for me and says quietly "i'll finish these up you go on and take her home". i know "thank you for the dinner" i look over to katniss and go stand next to her i bend over and stroke her hair "hey kat, you awake" she mumbled something along the lines of "ya I…..walk"

instead I scoop her up bridal style in my arms and she snuggles deep into my chest. she lets out a soft sigh of indignation i smile down at her as we reach the front door. katniss everdeen soon to be my wife.

I push open the door and step into our warm house careful not to hit katniss's head against the door frame. I walk deeper into our house when i hear a noise from the living room i walk in to find awkwardly standing in my livivng room hands stuffed deep into pockets head down scowling at the floor

Gale Hawthorne

au

story is just getting into the good stuff theres gonna be a new quarter quell new arena new card new kids. FINNICK AND ANNIE! JOANNA! oh and we must not forget about THE WEDDING!


	3. Chapter 3

I lay katniss down on the couch she is still sound asleep. "oh hello gale, what can i do for ya" he looks up at me and then to katniss. "ohh,umm, she missed hunting today i was just checking to see if she was here or she just forgot." i highly doubt thats the only reason he is here, but i don't question. "there was a photo shoot for the capitol she's exhausted." his eyebrows knit together in confusion "photo shoot?" he questions "for the wedding" i answer he looks over to her again and holds his gaze on her sleeping face while he responds "is..is it real" i snort a bit "yes gale its real, but katniss really does care about you so dont leave her she really does need you." he holds his gaze on katniss and his eyes soften "well tell her i stopped in" he says "i promise" gale leaves and then i look over to katniss and realize shes awake just pretending "hes gone" i say and stifle a laugh as one i flicks open to look at me she gets up and wraps her arms around me. "weddings are hard" she whines. this time i don't stifle the laugh she looks up at me laughing and puts on a pouty face "what?" she questions " i look at her still laughing a bit "you are adorable when you're tired " she scowls then yawns and leans her head on my chest and closes her eyes "love you"

"i love you too kat"

***3 days later***

there is mandatory viewing for all of panam right now our entire world watching. Except me. they're showing the photo shoot and i still can't see katniss in her dress i wait up in one of the spare rooms while the dresses are being shown. Truthfully i am really excited for the wedding. Katniss is to but i know she would have prefered something small, however that is not an option when you're "the star-crossed lovers from district 12". several minutes and some ooos and ahhhs from and prim and a grunt for haymitch later katniss's beautiful voice reaches my ears "peeta its over you can come on down" i walk down the steps expecting to see everyone sitting in the living room chatting away. but, when i reach the living room it is silent all eyes on the illuminated television. "whats going on" i ask carefully "something about the games an announcement from snow" prim says the games aren't for months what would be happening "must be the reading of the card" i remember learning about something like this in school. On a quarter quell there is a reading of the card the determines the "flavor" per se of the awful games. i take a seat next to katniss who automatically curls up by my side and my arm goes around her and she takes my other hand. she is tense with fear about what will appear on our television in a few moments i rub small circles on her hand and she relaxes a little though still tense. President snow appears on the screen in front of billions of crazily dresses Capitol Citizens he reads the treaty of treason. He takes an neat white envelope with the number 75 on it from a box lined with other envelopes identical to the one in the president's hand besides the little number written on each for many quarter quells in the future. katniss tenses again when he starts to slowly open the envelope "shhh" i whisper into her hair for only her to hear. she looks up at me her face showing two things terror and worry. i gently kiss her forehead. she closes her eyes and melts into the touch we turn our attention back to the screen when we hear the president's voice say. "as a reminder that even the youngest were affected by the districts rebellion the tributes reaped will be in between the ages of 9-16" it takes a moment for it to register. for some it will be the same namly the 11-16 year olds but they're sending 9 year olds in there to KILL people. How could someone kill a terrified 9 year old. its barbaric. Then i remember. _we have to train these kids. we have to train 9 and 10 year olds even 11 year olds. who are still extremely innocent to kill. or train older children to kill 9 or 10 year olds. _it was awful when a 12 year old died in the average games. i look down at katniss who is stunned she jumps from my arms before i can grab her back and runs out the door in a split second i am on her tail "katniss!" i call after her. she collapses on the ground against one of the empty buildings her body wracked with sobs. I sit in front of her she looks up at me tears still streaming down her face. "im sorry you shouldn't have to deal with me you can go back inside" she looks down again and a lone tear drops off her cheek into the grass below us i put two fingers under her chin and make her look at me "hey" i say "for better or for worse, right" "for better or for worse" she repeats. we envelope ourselves in each others arms we sit like this for a while on the cold ground. our only companion silence and katniss's occasional sniff or whimper she ends up crying herself to sleep my arms. i carry her back to the house in the dark bring and tuck her in bed. _alot of nights have ended like this haven't they_. i look at my fiance tucked warmly into bed. I walk over to the everdeens and inform her mother that katniss is fine just upset and tell her she had a bit of a melt down. to my surprise she throws her arms around me "thank you peeta" "your welcome " i reply she looks at me and a smile crosses her lips "call me lily, mom, or nothing darling" i return the smile."i better get back to kat before she wakes up and freaks out because she's alone" i say "of course, of course" we bid each other goodnight and i head home to katniss and climb into bed with her. she melts into me ad relases a sigh "i love you so much" she says "always" i reply

**AN i'm gonna skip straight to reaping day. the wedding is right after the quell begins like the day after so prepare for that,also i think this is gonna be a really long story that you continually follow for a long time. because its basically what would have happened if there was no quell no rebellion and the love story was real**

**reaping day**

it is terrible. some of the children are so small and terrified they're sobbing quietly in their spots. katniss and my family are off to the side of the stage including prim because technically shes already been reaped so she can not be reaped again. effie has lost some of her original spunk but its still there. "alright ladies first" she says she fishes around in the reaping bowl for a moment then pulls out a name she clicks over to the microphone and pipes out "charlotte annersten!" they locate her in the crowd a 14 year old (at least she's not extremely young) with straight very red hair a little longer than katniss's. pale under her freckles even more so now that she is white as a sheet with fear. she makes her way to the stage. a pretty blue dress with a bow around the waist hanging on her shoulders. thats when i notice them her eyes they are piercing green deep deep green not that it is dark or light its just they can only be described in one word _fierce. her shock is quickly replaced by a look of determination. katniss squeezes my hand i give her a reassuring back and wrap my arm around her waist she doesn't notice but out of the corner of my eye i can see that we are on screen i ignore it and look over to effie. "now for for the boys" she says she fishes out a name from _the bowl and once again clicks back over to the microphone she opens the paper "nicholas setin" they locate him as well. he looks to be about 14 too. Strong build already has some muscles, handsome, normal height. he has jet black hair and olive skin no doubt from the seam. everything about this boy is dark even his eyes which are so dark they are could almost be all pupils except the little white flicks around the edges. he looks shocked but not anymore than anyone else does when they are reaped. they shake hands at the stage and then are escorted into the justice building. we are brought into a different room. by we i mean katniss, haymitch, and I. as soon as we sit down on the couch haymitch speaks up "ruba's nephew" he says "what" katniss asks "ruba" he replies "the butcher, that nicholas kid is her nephew. i've seen him in there he works there" i nod "wait, he's a town kid" it doesn't make sense. town kids are all light blue eyes blonde hair like prim and lily. nothing about that boy is light "yup, stick in the mud just like prim and lily" he says "what about the the girl, charlotte" katniss asks "town" he says "but i know her father from the hob. took over the apothecary after katniss's mothers family sold it a few years back. They say she has healers hands like her mother, Jenniveve. I'd be surprised if she didn't know loads about plants." katniss and i knod in aggrement. after an hour of comfortable silence a peacekeeper walks in to inform us that the hour is up. we make our way to the car that will take us to the train. we all pile into the car and a moment later charlotte and nicholas come out of the justice building. the cameras and reporters swarming like bees on a flower. "dont answer the questions" haymitch says out of no where to the two of us. I am confused for a moment the i see that as the tributes enter the car the reporters begin spitting questions at the two of us we do as haymitch said. we dont answer the questions but we do smile and wave katniss smiles and waves a little but is clinging to me like a lifeline so i simply hold her. the kids get in the car. the ride is silent and as soon as we step onto the train the kids faces light up at all the fancy things around. nicholas looks around in amazement, but charlotte only is momentarily amused then her face returns to its determined state its been in since she stepped onto the stage. katniss and i decided we wouldnt "connect" per se with the tributes but we would still be not as distant as haymitch was. "well this is it" i say trying to lighten the mood a bit. the children turn to us "so why dont we show you two to your rooms." i smile a little at the pair then turn to katniss "katniss, would you show charlotte to her room" "its actually charlie" charlotte says as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "ohh well then, katniss would you show charlie to her room" she looks to charlie "come on" she says with a smile and leads her off i the oposite direction. i turn to nicholas "so is it nick or nicholas" i ask the young boy he shoves his hands acwardly in his pocket he looks up "ya nick is fine" his head goes down again "hey" i say "im sorry that this happened to you. but trust me, its for the better" i look off into katniss's direction he knods and i show him to his room. i walk back to the main compartment where i find katniss walking in form the opposite direction her eyes watering tears threatening to spill from her stormy gray eyes. i open my arms and she gratefully enters we stay like this until katniss composes herself. we seperate and i give her a peck on the nose just then haymitch walks in. "shes just like joanna mason. he states and slumps down in the green armchair across from us "excuse me" katniss says. we take a sat on the couch katniss leaning on me while i have one arm around her. "the red head, shes just like joanna mason" he finnishes joanna mason the rude loud inaproprote slightly mean victor from district 7 "the woman from 7" i ask. he knods "so you mean we should pull a joanna mason with her make her seem weak and scared the whip her out to kill everyone" katniss asks impatetently "no" he retorts "just a comment. he takes a long swig from his bottle. how he finds the alchohol so fast is beside me. "oh and by the way the girl wants to be called charlie and the boy nick" haymitch gruts and katniss lies down with her head on my lap while i play with her hair haymitch and i talk for a while until effie appears to inform us that it is time for dinner we eat in mostly silence with a bit of chatter here and there. when the meal is finnished i look to haymitch and he knods. "so you two" i look the kids who look about green from the rich food "do you have any special skills or anything" theyt look down "basicaly whats you best point" haymitch finnishes impateintly katniss reaches for my hand under they table i take it and a little smirk appears on my face "dont be affraid to brag" katniss adds the kids think for a minute. then nick pipes up "umm ive got fair aim with a knife and i can whittle i guess" we knod then look to charlie who is scowling at her drinking glass. "What about you Charlie any special talents of any sort" she looks up at us "we'll naturally I know loads about plants and and well um my father taugh me how to jut and skin wild animals that helps with food I'm also fast. and like katniss" she knows her head towards katniss "I can climb trees" "what about weapons you know for defense" she closes her eyes for a moment she must be thinking what katniss and I were thinking at this point last year, how can I kill someone, "um I have good aim you know I can throw a ball or something at a target fairly well I guess it shouldn't be too much different from throwing a spear or knife." "Ya that's good" I reply. Effie looks at the fancy watch in her pocket watch "ooh the recap of the trappings begin to start. Katniss cuddles up next to me again. We sit and watch the reaping i take note of only a few in district one there are two sixteen year olds one scary looking girl with straight bleech blonde hair and blood thirsty eyes named gemmi and a boy with bronze skin named shard. In 2 there's a girl around 15 this time with short black hair and black eyes named curin. And a boy a little younger than curin with red hair and blue eyes who looks so strong he could snap a neck with a finger like Cato named kenndel. There's a 13 year old girl and a 16 year old boy from 4 named allison and dennis. everyone seems to be at least 12 or over until we get to 5 in district 5 there are two 9 year olds how ever that happened. a little girl with her blonde hair in pig tails who when her name is called cries silently named elizabeth and a boy with brown hair and blue eyes who doesnt cry but looks as if he is about to named jake. then in 6 theres a 14 year old and a ten year old in 7 another nine year old boy named charles and a 13 year old girl. in 8 15 year old and an 11 year old. in 9 another nine year old this time a girl named tessie who climbs onto the stage with a small ragdy old stuffed bunny claiming she wont let go of it because its her token and a 16 year old boy is called after her. in 10 theres a 13 year old and a 15 year old. in 11 theres a 14 year old and a 10 year old boy. then of course nick and charlie in 12 two 14 year olds. when the screen goes black i speak up "alright kids why dont you two hit th hay we have to talk for a minute. nick stands up and charlie after they are on there way out the door when charlie calls behind her "you know your not that much older than us you cant really call us kids" haymitch and katniss laugh i smile and effie mutters something about manners i smile and call after her "come talk to me when your engaged!" this brings more laughter from the group and even effie cracks a smile. we were all laughed out i get right down to business "so what do you think" everyone thinks for a moment then katniss blurts "its barbaric" we all know "sending poor innocent children in there its awful" she finishes "im with sweetheart on this one" haymitch adds "i mean that little girl from 9 who said her bunny was her token its crazy" we know again katniss leans her head on my shoulder and her eyes fall closed "hey kat wanna head to bed" i whisper into her hair. she nods sleepily "alright we're off to bed good night guys" we stand up and walk to our cabin which we haven't yet seen we've never been in a couples cabin before. we enter the room. its just like our old ones just a bit bigger with two closets and two dressers and a larger bed "cozy" i say katniss smiles then yawns i go over to my dresser and to get my pajamas on she goes to hers. i open the drawer and then hear a gasp from behind me i whip around to see katniss backing away from the drawer. i bolt over and look into the drawer its the dress katniss wore on reaping day. the capitol kinda took it i guess when she left it in the room last year. katniss must be having a kind of freak out i look behind me towards her her eyes are frantic and she has a hand covering her mouth to contain the scream that is about to escape her lips. i wrap my arms around her and she takes her hand off her mouth to hug me back we stay like this for a while then head to bed.

The next day we take the kids to the remake building where we say hello I cinna and poshe "so more flames this year" katniss asks cinna "no flames is your thing I've got something special in mind for these ones" we bid our goodbyes and head to the training center we get another couples room in the training center. We are prepared to spend the day doing nothing while the kids get made up. But as we walk into the sitting area we see haymitch "come on we're going socializing" he says. We walk to the elevator and haymitch pushes a button with a B on it. i never have been to any other floors than 12 and the training floor. when we arrive we hear lots of noise talking chatting drunken singing. like a bar sure enough there's a bar when the elevator doors open a bar with lining the walls showing videos of old games and reapings clips. katniss reaches for my hand i take her tiny cold one in mine and we advance forward out of the elevator. i expected to sit down at the bar but haymitch kept on pushing deeper through the crowd until we reaches a door labeled MENTORS ONLY we push through its a lot quieter in here. plush chairs and mahogany tables _effie would love them _avoxes walk around handing out drinks to the chatting mentors. we follow haymitch to a group chatting in back "kids" he turns to us "meet well everybody" he says then falls into a fleshy orange chair he motions to one of the avoxes for a drink and she scurries off to get it. a man stands up he has bronze hair and is very handsome obviously finnick odair he holds out his hand "finnick odair" he says i take his hand and shake it "peeta mellark" he holds his hand out to katniss "katniss everdeen" she says "i guess soon to be katniss mellark" she says with a weak laugh finnick smiles and takes a seat we sit on a purple couch next to haymitch. he speaks up "this is joanna" he motions towards a scowling woman obviously joanna mason. "annie cresta" he adds motioning to a young red headed woman holding hands with finnick who seems to be in another world. "this is mags" he says motioning to an old woman who is on the other side of finnick "and this is chaff" he geustures to a man sitting beside him taking a long swig from a bottle of alcoholhe doesnt lower the bottle from his lips but he holds up his arm as a hello but instead of a hand at the end his arm ends in a stump he pulls the bottle from his lips and stands up to shake our hands we do the same i shake his hand and katniss puts out hers for him to shake it but instead he gives her a big kiss on the mouth the entire group guffaws at first i feel utter hatred for the man then relize it was just a joke but am still appaled katniss pulls back and looks to me appalled i pull her a little closer we sit down and when the group stops laughing we start to actually talk. katniss not very often directly to chaff me neither im still pretty peeved at him. Katniss doesnt seem to like joanna to much but her and finnick hit it off. not in a romantic way but a big brother, best friend kind of way. plus him and annie cresta seem happliy involved. she doesnt speak much etheir and seems a bit weird though very sweet. we talk and eat and drink for the whole day but never alcohol for us. at around six we go through the bar to the elevators that will bring us down to where the tribute chariots are. when we arrive cinnia is there "i already talked to them i want you to see the costumes with everyone else. we and up sitting on a high balcony where we are shown on camera multipul times. finnaly we humor one reporter and let him interveiw us. "how are the preparation for the wedding coming along" the reporter asks "well the capitol is taking care of most of it but it will probably be amazing" katniss says "what about you peeta what do you think of the dresses" he asks pointing a microphone at my face "you know what i think i'm the only one in the entirety of panama to have not seen the dresses" i say smiling at katniss "well its bad luck" katniss says "i don't need luck" i say looking deep into the katniss's stormy eyes she rolls her eyes and gives me a short but loving kiss. i think by now the reporter is in tears. the anthem begins to play and we all look over the balcony and see the chariots rolling out followed by the others. i see that some of the stylists used the idea of illuminating their tributes. the kids from 3 had costumes with LED lights covering them. at least that makes sense because 3 is electronics. district 6 were cows with flaming belts what were they doing broiling themselves. when the district ten chariot rolled out i got antsy to see what cinna had done for them. the eleven chariot rolled out and on their tail was twelve…..

they were breath taking. nick was in all his darkness was wearing a black coal miners outfit he was covered in coal dust and was wearing makeup that made him look very dark and tough. next to him charlie was in a black dress a plain black dress i was confused for a moment when all of a sudden there was a bright light. so bright we couldn't see her then it dimmed and her dress had been transformed into a yellow dress covered in feathers. she lifted her arms and out sprouted wings. she was a cannery a canary in one of our coal mines. she was smiling and waving but on the inside she was bored to death. they aren't holding hands this year like kat and i did. i look over to katniss she has a splitting grin on her face . i squeeze her hand and she looks to me and lifts our hands to her lips and says one word "awesome" and turns her attention back to the chariots. The reporters and commentators are going nuts over how strong and tough they made nick look and how amazing charlie looked.

when the ceremony is over we are directed down to where the tributes and their chariots are. we walk over the the district twelve chariot where the children are climbing off the chariot effie porsche and the stylist are raving about how much of a hit we were while cinna just tells the kids they did amazing. katniss runs over and gives cinna a hug "that was amazing" she turns to the kids " you did great" i walk over and thank cinna and complement the kids.

we go up to our floor and katniss and i go to our room. Just as we're about to fall into bed when the t.v clicks on. _ that happens here when theres mandatory viewing. _i get in bed with my back against the headboard. Katniss gets in bed and crawls over to me. she kneels down next to me and grabs my hand. the voice of ceasar flickerman comes through the speakers. "this is ceasar flickerman your master of ceremonies" the crowd applauded obviously fake. "if theres a peeta mellark out there he better close his eyes." i laugh and look at katniss she laughing a little too. "you saw the dresses, you picked your favorite and you voted for it now its time to seeeeeeee which dress katniss everdeen will wear at the altar!" katniss looks uninterested but excited by the suspense "uh uh uh now wait wait wait are peeta's eyes closed" i give an exaggerated sigh and walk into the bathroom and shut the door. after about ten minutes katniss opens the door "come on" she says with a laugh. the t.v is off and its time for bed. shes about to walk around to the other side of the bed but at the footboard i grab her hand and spin her around until her lips connect with mine shes momentarily shocked but kisses me back after a second. we climb into bed, whisper our good nights and both are fast asleep within minutes.


End file.
